The Temptations of Christ - Part 4
The three attempts by Satan to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ are covered in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. In each attempt, there is a common theme, and it is to get the Lord Jesus Christ to act apart from the will of the Father and to depart from the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.
As we saw previously, our Lord relied on the Word of God as His dependable defense against the first temptation. Now in the second temptation, Satan quotes our Lord’s own Scripture and tries to use it against Him. He takes Jesus Christ to the pinnacle of the temple, which is a wing of the temple called Herod’s Portico located about 450 feet above the Kidron Valley. And Satan challenges Jesus to throw himself off and let God deliver Him. Satan quotes Psalm 91:11a, 12, which says, “He shall give His angels charge over you…in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
He is basically saying to the humanity of Christ, You trust God to deliver you, and His Word says He will, so jump and let Him do it. If Jesus jumps, He would be putting God to the test through an unnecessary proof of His care. This is a distortion of God’s Word. Satan has nothing to do with truth except to distort it (John 8:44). God never intended for any of His promises to be a test of His provision, protection, or deliverance.
We must trust God for everything and have absolute confidence that His care and protection are always there for us. But we must not misinterpret or misapply His Word. His Word never contradicts itself. If we take unnecessary risks or make bad decisions, God’s protection does not mean we will not suffer the consequences. God’s permissive will allows for our negative volition and bad decisions. Any time we superimpose our will over God’s, we are misapplying God’s Word. If we depend on God’s Word in a direction that is against God’s will, we are distorting His promises. One way that we might distort God’s Word is to sin with 1 John 1:9 in mind. In other words, there is a sin we want to commit, and we think “Well I will do it, then just name it and be forgiven.” That would be distorting God’s grace gift of Rebound. God is faithful and He would still forgive us, but we could be subject to discipline for the distortion. Be very careful not to ever twist God’s Word into something for which it was not intended.
Jesus answers Satan by saying, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (Matthew 4:7). He replies with Scripture that has direct application to the circumstances. So we must do the same. We trust God not because of what He does for us, but because He always fulfills His promises. In adversity, we should not focus on when or how God is going to deliver, but rather that God will provide everything we need to endure. We should see the adversity as for our benefit. God’s promises are simple, iron-clad statements for each of us personally. Claim them as your own because they are. Believe them but never distort them.
Memory Verse: “For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3).